Sweet and sour chicken balls, are, I'd say in the top 3 food items ordered on a Chinese Takeaway menu in the UK, and for very good reason, they're so good, deep fried carbs with chicken inside then dipped into a sweet and sour sauce has amazing, and the fuel of the drunk for many a year now. Personal I like Chinese curry sauce instead, but that's just me.
Useful equipment:
Spider sieve https://amzn.to/3I1dw1o
Temperature probe https://amzn.to/3K9GmiR
Sauce pan https://amzn.to/3YDkrEW
Cooking spoon https://amzn.to/3I8DLD0
Meat cleaver I used https://amzn.to/410LVGa
Chopping board https://amzn.to/3XDZ0m6
Tooth picks https://amzn.to/3IskuxM
Ingredients:
Chicken balls
1 large chicken breast
1 tbsp plain flour
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp black pepper https://www.chinandchoo.com/product-page/rajah-ground-black-pepper-400g
150g self raising flour
Sweet and sour sauce
700ml warm water
250ml water
50ml orange squash
50ml white vinegar
4 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Potato starch slurry
1/8 tsp red food colouring powder https://www.chinandchoo.com/product-page/permicol-bright-red-powder-n9326-30g
Veg oil for deep frying
Method:
Cut you chicken breast into 2.5 by 2.5 cm chunks and place into a bowl.
Now add 1 tbsp of plain flour, 1/3 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp MSG and 1/3 black pepper.
Mix into the the chicken, making sure each piece is coated well. This is not only important for flavour but to help the wet batter stick.
Place 150g of self raising flour (green dragon is the best) into a mixing bowl then add your warm water to, 100-150 ml at a time, its important that you have one had pouring and the other stirring as you pour. When the batter is like the consistency of wall paper paste.
Place your chicken balls into the mix and push them so they are submerged in the mix.
Heat your oil to 180c/356f then using a tooth pick, prick one of your chicken chunks and them place it into the oil, shake it very gently to release the chicken from the stick.
Repeat until your wok is full, then using the spider sieve push the balls down, this ensures even browning.
There done when they reach 80c/176f inside and are nice and brown on the outside.
Now to a sauce pan add 250ml of cold water, 50ml orange squash, 50ml white vinegar, 4 tbsp of ketchup, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp of MSG and 1/8 tsp of red food colouring powder (this is optional), and stir in.
Bring to the boil then thicken with potato starch slurry.
Its now ready to be use to dunk your lovely chicken balls you just made into it.
Notes:
1. If you want a thin crispy batter use more water, if you want a thick stodgy batter use less water.
2. You'll need a work for this as if you use a deep fat fryer they will stick to the basket, you can remove the basket, but sometimes they will stick to the element.
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